Boxing champ Chavez Jr released while awaiting Mexico trial - local media

MEXICO CITY (Reuters) -Mexican boxer Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. has been released from jail in northern Mexico as he awaits trial for alleged cartel ties following his deportation from the United States, his lawyer told local media on Sunday.

His release comes one day after a hearing in the northern city of Hermosillo in Sonora state, in which a judge ruled that the 39-year-old former champion could continue his legal process from outside detention, after he was arrested last week.

Mexican news outlet La Jornada reported that Chavez Jr. is home with his family, citing his attorney Ruben Fernando Benitez told.

In a separate interview with local news late Saturday, Benitez also said prosecutors lacked proof to back the charges.

"There is no evidence," Benitez said following the decision from Judge Enrique Hernandez Miranda in a courtroom in Hermosillo.

Benitez could not be reached for comment.

Chavez Jr., the 39-year-old son of a legendary former world champion boxer Julio Cesar Chavez, was detained by U.S. immigration authorities in July shortly after losing in a sold-out match to American influencer-turned-boxer Jake Paul.

Mexican prosecutors allege he acted as a henchman for the powerful Sinaloa Cartel, which Washington designated a foreign terrorist organization earlier this year.

Chavez Jr.'s lawyer and family have denied the accusations.

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum previously said she expected Chavez Jr. to face charges for arms trafficking and organized crime, and that prosecutors were working on the case.

(Reporting by Laura Gottesdiener and Noe Torres, editing by Sandra Maler and Stephen Coates)

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